Adlai Stevenson’s veto message is one of the 100 Best Documents at the Illinois State Archives (Office of the Illinois Secretary of State)
“Governor Stevenson did no pussyfooting on pussy’s perambulations,” the Chicago Daily News editorialized after Gov. Adlai Stevenson II vetoed what had become known as “the cat bill” on April 23, 1949.
The proposal, pushed for years by a one-woman bird protection movement, would have allowed people to capture or trap cats running at large. An owner would have had to pay a $1 fine (about $13 in 2025) to retrieve a wandering cat.
The bill’s main proponent, Gertrude Charny of Chicago, styled herself the president of Friends of the Birds Inc. She had sought restrictions on cats for several years, at first calling for cats to be allowed outside only on leashes. Illinois lawmakers approved the less stringent proposal in spring 1949.
Adlai Stevenson II, 1961 (Wikipedia)
Stevenson’s veto message – restrained in tone but written with at least the tip of his tongue in cheek – is considered a classic example of persuasive argument.
“Whatever the reason for passage at this session, I cannot believe there is a widespread public demand for this law or that it could, as a practical matter, be enforced,” he wrote.
“… The problem of cat versus bird is as old as time. If we attempt to resolve it by legislation, who knows but that we may be called upon to take sides as well in the age old problems of dog versus cat, bird versus bird, or even bird versus worm. The state of Illinois and its local governing bodies already have enough to do without trying to control feline delinquents. ‘
“For these reasons, and not because I like birds the less or cats the more, I veto and withhold my approval from Senate Bill No. 93.”
Stevenson, who went on to run unsuccessfully twice for U.S. president, was governor from 1949 to 1953. “Stevenson’s gift to the nation was his language, elegant and well-crafted, thoughtful and calming,” journalist David Halberstam wrote.
Hat tip: Thanks to Elaine Hoff of the Sangamon County Historical Society for reminding SangamonLink of the cat bill veto.
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